ID#: 7852
Description: Caption:
This historic photograph, created sometime around 1932, shows participants in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. In this particular view, an African-American man was being x-rayed, while in the standing position.
Additional Information:
In 1932, the Public Health Service, working with the Tuskegee Institute, began a study to record the natural history of syphilis in hopes of justifying treatment programs for blacks. It was called the "Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male."

The study initially involved 600 black men – 399 with syphilis, 201 who did not have the disease. The study was conducted without the benefit of patients' informed consent. Researchers told the men they were being treated for "bad blood", a local term used to describe several ailments, including syphilis, anemia, and fatigue. In truth, they did not receive the proper treatment needed to cure their illness. In exchange for taking part in the study, the men received free medical exams, free meals, and burial insurance. Although originally projected to last 6 months, the study actually went on for 40 years. See the link below for more information on this study.
High Resolution: Click here for hi-resolution image (8.27 MB)
Content Providers(s): CDC/ Betty Hooper, OCD; Inf. Office
Creation Date:
Photo Credit:
Links: CDC – National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention; U.S. Public Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee
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Copyright Restrictions: None - This image is in the public domain and thus free of any copyright restrictions.